Swell by Joe Solo & Kevin Pearson

I don't often do promo posts here but sometimes a project just has to be shouted about.

Swell was written by Joe Solo and illustrated by Scunthorpe based Cartoonist Kevin Pearson.

The book is intended to make both children and adults smile, and attempts to answer the 

question, "When it comes to dinosaurs, why didn't they find the biggest fossils first?'


Proceeds from sales are going direct to The Blue Door, a Crisis Centre for victims of domestic violence and abuse in Scunthorpe The book is aimed at youngsters and intended as a fun bedtime story. It's a fiver including postage and is available from 


The books is £5 including postage and available from:

http://joesolomusic.bandcamp.com/album/swell

Roman Dalton - Werewolf PI

If you like noir then you’ll love this. If you like supernatural fiction you’ll love this. If you like great descriptive prose you’ll love this. Paul D. Brazill has been writing his Roman Dalton werewolf PI stories now for about 3-4 years. I enjoy the pure escapism of it, the author’s imagination roams in the same way that Roman roams the streets of The City.

What this collection of stories brings is a sense of solidity to the city for me. With each little revelation we get another insight into the place the author calls simply The City. I enjoy the fact that anything can, and often does, happen there and it seems there are no boundaries. The descriptiveness is at times heavy and other times a feather’s touch but nothing disturbs the flow of the stories and the style, which is vitally important here. Brazill’s writing is like a watermark and you can tell his work instantly. To me it’s become as comforting as meeting an old friend - you know you’re not going to end up frustrated and unfulfilled.

The relationships between the characters has also been intensified and made more solid. With the release of Roman Dalton PI it feels like the series has reached another higher level. Absolutely top rate.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Rowling's first foray into the world of adult fiction was an entertaining read. The Casual Vacancy deals with events following the death of Parish Councillor Barry Fairbrother. The little village of Pagford turns out to be a hot bed of political back biting, bigotry and ignorance as the residents squabble over the vacant seat.

Rowling hasn't quite purged Potter from her head as the children of the village play as large, perhaps larger, a role in the novel as the adults. However, excellent characterisation made it an entertaining read as did some very effective social commentary.

Rowling has her detractors but I for one always enjoy the way she spins a tale. My biggest criticism is that it is perhaps a couple of hundred pages too long and don't expect action. This is very much a character driven novel. A worthwhile read that attempts to deal with large social issues in a small village.